Red hot Carmel cools off St. Patrick
Ehren, Rao power 8th-straight win for no. 19 Corsairs
By Patrick Z. McGavin
MUNDELEIN -- Carmel was in a celebratory mood. And the fun and excitement naturally flowed and achieved impressive shape and dimension as the Corsairs continued to play high-level and high-quality soccer.
In honoring the team’s 11 seniors, coach Ray Krawzak gave each one a moment and the team responded with a superb combination of balance, power and versatility. The two centerpieces took center stage, but the rest more than held their own.
The result was one of the team’s most impressive performances of the year.
Senior forward Austin Ehren scored two of his three goals in the first half and senior midfielder Rob Rau registered a goal and two assists as the no. 19 Corsairs defeated St. Patrick 5-0 in East Suburban Catholic play Thursday.
“I thought they were definitely the strongest team we have faced,” St. Patrick coach Kyle McClure said. “Our other two losses are against Stevenson and Wheeling, and I thought they were better than both of those teams.”
Carmel (8-1-0, 4-0-0) ran its winning streak to eight straight since a 3-2 loss against Round Lake in their season debut in the North Shore Shooutout.
“I feel like our chemistry has just gotten better,” Rao said. “The first game, I would not say we were new with each other, because we were doing some captains’ practices in the summer. But I felt like we had not gotten everybody’s style down and how we play. Ever since we have been getting a little bit better every game.
“I feel like we are playing really well right now.”
Krawzak altered his normal starting lineup to allow for some of his off-the-bench seniors a chance to start. Carmel is a deep and versatile team. Following the normal back and flow start of any game, the Corsairs took control in the 10th minute.
Ehren is a singular athlete -- he has signed to play college baseball at Belmont. But soccer is not exactly his fall-back sport. As a sophomore he scored 23 goals on the first state trophy team in the program’s history. Quick, fast and very aggressive with the ball, he is a skilled competitor.
The game was played on the Corsairs’ stadium pitch, adjacent to a secondary field where the lower-level game was staged. In a sequence where the sound of a whistle on the other field temporarily disoriented the Shamrocks, Ehren made the visitors pay.
“I actually stopped for a second, but I heard somebody say keep playing, and I noticed their whole backline just kind of froze,” Ehren said. “I just drove right past them.”
The goal was a shocker, for several reasons -- the Shamrocks had some pretty good early ball movement and possession time. The larger narrative was misleading in that sense. St. Patrick (8-3-2, 1-1-1) enjoyed an even split with the Corsairs.
But Carmel had a monopoly on the truly dangerous opportunities.
“I think the game was closer than it showed, but we have a young team, and we do not respond well when we get down early,” McClure said. “That is one thing we need to work on. When we score first, we are really good. When we don’t, we panic, and I think that’s what we did a little bit today.”
First impressions, Chaucer observed, are lasting. So is the opening salvo in an important game.
“I have been in a lot of games, and the team gets scored on first, their motivation naturally goes down,” Ehren said. “Our goal is to score in the first five or 10 minutes, and that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to get us out into the leap, and then hopefully have even more goals to lean on.”
Carmel’s defense, led by ace senior Brett Cloe, was excellent at closing spaces and denying any significant open space from the Shamrocks’ most imposing offensive weapon, senior forward Chris Modrzejewski. The early Carmel goal also scrambled the Shamrocks, some of the players admitted.
“Those early goals, had we been able to prevent them, and they were really mistakes on our part. The match could have been different,” sophomore forward Luis Saucedo said. “We had a lot of possession time early-on. Those early mistakes really brought us down.
“We had our chances, and then they hit us. They did it once, and we had to respond. But I think that is what caused those two other goals because we started playing with our heads down. Had we been able to bounce back after that first goal, it might have been a different game.”
St. Patrick showed good determination, especially after keeper Christopher Troyke stopped a Carmel penalty kick by Cloe in the 19th minute. Carmel took full command in the final movement of the first half.
In the 26th minute, Rao and Ehren collaborated on a crucial second goal. Rao was the instigator, deftly weaving through the Shamrocks’ backline and applying the pressure that began what Ehren finished from about 12 yards.
“I feel like in the first 10-15 minutes, we played really hard and put them on their heels,” Rao said. “I feel like they were surprised by the high pressure, and the quick goal I think completely (surprised) them. I think the early goal and the second one really helped.”
The Corsairs effectively put the game out of reach in the 38th minute on a sharply designed and executed set piece. From the right corner, senior defender Nate Passarelli served the ball far post that junior defender Eli Larson, perfectly positioned outside the tight bunch grouped in front of the box, shielded himself and finished with authority.
“I feel like that third one really killed them, and I thought it was great for us to get one off a corner,” Rao said. “I think that is one of our first goals this year on a corner, and we practice them all the time. Getting one off the corner was great and allowed us to push forward.”
St. Patrick played hard and managed some decent scoring chances in the second half, a free kick by specialist sophomore defender Jonathan Rodriguez and a couple of good balls by Saucedo. The difference was the Shamrocks mostly shot from distance, and they rarely generated the kind of favorable breakdown or pressure that heightens those opportunities.
“That (late first half goal) was the backbreaker,” Rodriguez said. “I think we have to communicate, work as a team and just concentrate on playing hard and getting shots. They have a lot of seniors, but I thought our team played better in the second half. Hopefully we will do better the next time.”
Rao scored on a beautiful sequence with senior midfielder Henry Barnes. As Rao finished his run down the left wing, Barnes played off a beautiful back tap that Rao collected in full stride and hammered home from about 12 yards in the 56th minute. The two stars ended the performance in the 60th minute as Rao played a through-ball that Ehren made one quick dribble and shot inside the near post for the final goal.
Rao, a DePaul recruit, has 12 goals and eight assists. Ehren scored his seventh, eighth and ninth goals of the year.
Carmel notched its second win of a rigorous three-games-in-three-days stretch. The Corsairs defeated Grayslake North 3-1 on Wednesday and host Benet on Friday.
St. Patrick looks to regroup on Saturday at Nazareth.
“I think we have relied a little too much this season on our talent,” McClure said. “We have gotten away a bit where we beat a lot of teams where we did not have to work as hard. Today we faced a team with a lot of talent and that works really hard and is very well coached. Give them credit because they are a very good team, but this was also the worst that we have played, I thought overall.
“Put those two things together and that is your story.”
Starting lineups
St. Patrick
GK: Christopher Troyke
D: Richard Hernandez
D: Sebastian Modrzejewski
D: Nathan Anderson
D: Jonathan Rodriguez
MF: Angel Adame
MF: Aaron Moreno-Lopez
MF: Herbert Carrera
F: Chris Modrzejewski
F: Joshua Torres
F: Luis Saucedo
Carmel
GK: Kyle Knauer
D: Nate Passarelli
D: Spencer Randolph
D: Brett Cloe
MF: Henry Barnes
MF: Preston Wickremesekera
MF: Carsten Murgas
MF: Matt Fix
MF: Teddy Willemsen
MF: Rob Rao
F: Austin Ehren
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Austin Ehren, sr., F, Carmel
Scoring summary
First half
Carmel—Austin Ehren, 10th minute
Carmel—Ehren (Rob Rao), 26th minute
Carmel—Eli Larson (Nate Passarelli), 38th minute
Second half
Carmel—Rao (Henry Barnes), 56th minute
Carmel—Ehren (Rao), 60th minute
Ehren, Rao power 8th-straight win for no. 19 Corsairs
By Patrick Z. McGavin
MUNDELEIN -- Carmel was in a celebratory mood. And the fun and excitement naturally flowed and achieved impressive shape and dimension as the Corsairs continued to play high-level and high-quality soccer.
In honoring the team’s 11 seniors, coach Ray Krawzak gave each one a moment and the team responded with a superb combination of balance, power and versatility. The two centerpieces took center stage, but the rest more than held their own.
The result was one of the team’s most impressive performances of the year.
Senior forward Austin Ehren scored two of his three goals in the first half and senior midfielder Rob Rau registered a goal and two assists as the no. 19 Corsairs defeated St. Patrick 5-0 in East Suburban Catholic play Thursday.
“I thought they were definitely the strongest team we have faced,” St. Patrick coach Kyle McClure said. “Our other two losses are against Stevenson and Wheeling, and I thought they were better than both of those teams.”
Carmel (8-1-0, 4-0-0) ran its winning streak to eight straight since a 3-2 loss against Round Lake in their season debut in the North Shore Shooutout.
“I feel like our chemistry has just gotten better,” Rao said. “The first game, I would not say we were new with each other, because we were doing some captains’ practices in the summer. But I felt like we had not gotten everybody’s style down and how we play. Ever since we have been getting a little bit better every game.
“I feel like we are playing really well right now.”
Krawzak altered his normal starting lineup to allow for some of his off-the-bench seniors a chance to start. Carmel is a deep and versatile team. Following the normal back and flow start of any game, the Corsairs took control in the 10th minute.
Ehren is a singular athlete -- he has signed to play college baseball at Belmont. But soccer is not exactly his fall-back sport. As a sophomore he scored 23 goals on the first state trophy team in the program’s history. Quick, fast and very aggressive with the ball, he is a skilled competitor.
The game was played on the Corsairs’ stadium pitch, adjacent to a secondary field where the lower-level game was staged. In a sequence where the sound of a whistle on the other field temporarily disoriented the Shamrocks, Ehren made the visitors pay.
“I actually stopped for a second, but I heard somebody say keep playing, and I noticed their whole backline just kind of froze,” Ehren said. “I just drove right past them.”
The goal was a shocker, for several reasons -- the Shamrocks had some pretty good early ball movement and possession time. The larger narrative was misleading in that sense. St. Patrick (8-3-2, 1-1-1) enjoyed an even split with the Corsairs.
But Carmel had a monopoly on the truly dangerous opportunities.
“I think the game was closer than it showed, but we have a young team, and we do not respond well when we get down early,” McClure said. “That is one thing we need to work on. When we score first, we are really good. When we don’t, we panic, and I think that’s what we did a little bit today.”
First impressions, Chaucer observed, are lasting. So is the opening salvo in an important game.
“I have been in a lot of games, and the team gets scored on first, their motivation naturally goes down,” Ehren said. “Our goal is to score in the first five or 10 minutes, and that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to get us out into the leap, and then hopefully have even more goals to lean on.”
Carmel’s defense, led by ace senior Brett Cloe, was excellent at closing spaces and denying any significant open space from the Shamrocks’ most imposing offensive weapon, senior forward Chris Modrzejewski. The early Carmel goal also scrambled the Shamrocks, some of the players admitted.
“Those early goals, had we been able to prevent them, and they were really mistakes on our part. The match could have been different,” sophomore forward Luis Saucedo said. “We had a lot of possession time early-on. Those early mistakes really brought us down.
“We had our chances, and then they hit us. They did it once, and we had to respond. But I think that is what caused those two other goals because we started playing with our heads down. Had we been able to bounce back after that first goal, it might have been a different game.”
St. Patrick showed good determination, especially after keeper Christopher Troyke stopped a Carmel penalty kick by Cloe in the 19th minute. Carmel took full command in the final movement of the first half.
In the 26th minute, Rao and Ehren collaborated on a crucial second goal. Rao was the instigator, deftly weaving through the Shamrocks’ backline and applying the pressure that began what Ehren finished from about 12 yards.
“I feel like in the first 10-15 minutes, we played really hard and put them on their heels,” Rao said. “I feel like they were surprised by the high pressure, and the quick goal I think completely (surprised) them. I think the early goal and the second one really helped.”
The Corsairs effectively put the game out of reach in the 38th minute on a sharply designed and executed set piece. From the right corner, senior defender Nate Passarelli served the ball far post that junior defender Eli Larson, perfectly positioned outside the tight bunch grouped in front of the box, shielded himself and finished with authority.
“I feel like that third one really killed them, and I thought it was great for us to get one off a corner,” Rao said. “I think that is one of our first goals this year on a corner, and we practice them all the time. Getting one off the corner was great and allowed us to push forward.”
St. Patrick played hard and managed some decent scoring chances in the second half, a free kick by specialist sophomore defender Jonathan Rodriguez and a couple of good balls by Saucedo. The difference was the Shamrocks mostly shot from distance, and they rarely generated the kind of favorable breakdown or pressure that heightens those opportunities.
“That (late first half goal) was the backbreaker,” Rodriguez said. “I think we have to communicate, work as a team and just concentrate on playing hard and getting shots. They have a lot of seniors, but I thought our team played better in the second half. Hopefully we will do better the next time.”
Rao scored on a beautiful sequence with senior midfielder Henry Barnes. As Rao finished his run down the left wing, Barnes played off a beautiful back tap that Rao collected in full stride and hammered home from about 12 yards in the 56th minute. The two stars ended the performance in the 60th minute as Rao played a through-ball that Ehren made one quick dribble and shot inside the near post for the final goal.
Rao, a DePaul recruit, has 12 goals and eight assists. Ehren scored his seventh, eighth and ninth goals of the year.
Carmel notched its second win of a rigorous three-games-in-three-days stretch. The Corsairs defeated Grayslake North 3-1 on Wednesday and host Benet on Friday.
St. Patrick looks to regroup on Saturday at Nazareth.
“I think we have relied a little too much this season on our talent,” McClure said. “We have gotten away a bit where we beat a lot of teams where we did not have to work as hard. Today we faced a team with a lot of talent and that works really hard and is very well coached. Give them credit because they are a very good team, but this was also the worst that we have played, I thought overall.
“Put those two things together and that is your story.”
Starting lineups
St. Patrick
GK: Christopher Troyke
D: Richard Hernandez
D: Sebastian Modrzejewski
D: Nathan Anderson
D: Jonathan Rodriguez
MF: Angel Adame
MF: Aaron Moreno-Lopez
MF: Herbert Carrera
F: Chris Modrzejewski
F: Joshua Torres
F: Luis Saucedo
Carmel
GK: Kyle Knauer
D: Nate Passarelli
D: Spencer Randolph
D: Brett Cloe
MF: Henry Barnes
MF: Preston Wickremesekera
MF: Carsten Murgas
MF: Matt Fix
MF: Teddy Willemsen
MF: Rob Rao
F: Austin Ehren
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Austin Ehren, sr., F, Carmel
Scoring summary
First half
Carmel—Austin Ehren, 10th minute
Carmel—Ehren (Rob Rao), 26th minute
Carmel—Eli Larson (Nate Passarelli), 38th minute
Second half
Carmel—Rao (Henry Barnes), 56th minute
Carmel—Ehren (Rao), 60th minute